We provide therapy and counseling services for adults, children, couples and families in Grand Rapids, MI, and all of Kent County in West Michigan. Our TF-CBT certified therapist helps children work through trauma and anxiety, while our adult therapists utilize the only system of its kind for treating anxiety, trauma, depression, and phobias. Our multi-sensory virtual reality (VR) system is used to create environments and social interactions that help people work through their challenges in a safe environment, with the guidance of a licensed therapist.

Virtual Reality Technology

Virtual Reality (VR) is a powerful new tool that can be used to create environments, scenarios, and a wide range of stimuli that can be used in conjunction with cognitive behavioral treatment approaches to many anxiety spectrum disorders. The system employed at the VR Therapy and Counseling Center uses technology that is capable of creating the visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile components necessary to address all of the unique challenges faced by individuals seeking treatment. Rather than having to rely on individuals imagining the relevant images, scents, sounds, and feelings, or giving them homework to expose themselves to scenarios without any guidance or assistance, our therapist is able to gradually and safely expose them to all these elements in the comfort of our facilities.

VR Research

The evidence showing the efficacy of VR-based approaches to trauma and anxiety has grown steadily over the last decade as the technology has both improved and become more affordable to a wide range of practitioners. One of the first successful applications of VR therapy, virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), involved Ground Zero construction workers who were experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms in the aftermath of 9/11. Since that early study, the evidence for the efficacy of VR tools in exposure-based approaches to anxiety has continued to grow. An important finding from across many of these studies is that, when compared to traditional in vivo exposure approaches, individuals are more likely to stick with, and complete, their treatment programs when VR tools are used .

VR Therapy and Counseling Center has compiled a reading list consisting of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles that detail the aforementioned findings and more: